From rugby and soccer to the NFL: How the league is finding talent in unexpected places

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The NFL's search for elite talent has taken scouts far beyond the football fields of the United States and Canada.

Basketball courts and soccer, rugby and Gaelic football pitches in such places as Australia, Germany, Ireland, Nigeria, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe have become breeding grounds for potential running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, kickers, linebackers and offensive and defensive linemen.

The NFL started its International Player Pathway (IPP) program in 2017 to identify athletes who show promise as potential professional American football players, but otherwise wouldn't have an opportunity to enter the league.

“These are the athletes,” said Pat Long, the NFL's director of international football development, "who, even without a whole top order high school, NCAA run up, still have that potential to make the transition and jump up into being an NFL-caliber, at that point, no longer just an athlete but a player.”

When the IPP program began, the NFL allocated international athletes to just one division. It has steadily grown and, starting in 2024, all 32 NFL teams have been eligible to add one international player to their practice squad.

An athlete whose citizenship and principal place of residence are outside the United States and Canada and has a maximum of two years of high school experience in the U.S. can qualify for the program. They also have to satisfy all NFL player eligibility rules and have been eligible for a previous NFL draft. They can also play any position, from quarterback to punter.

“These guys being able to have this experience and then being able to leverage this experience to move forward as a leader in their community, I think is really cool,” said Skyler Fulton, the NFL’s head of the International Player Pathway program. “And that’s probably the part of the IPP program that doesn't really get a lot of attention is this isn’t judged on how many guys make it to the NFL. It’s judged on how many lives are we changing?”

The journeys for players often start by word of mouth, with athletes sometimes even contacting the NFL looking for an opportunity.

Helped in large part by Mark Dulgerian, the NFL’s director of international scouting, the league scouts players, builds a database of prospects from around the world and holds regional workouts — similar to the NFL combine held in Indianapolis before the draft — and film sessions in places such as Loughborough University in the United Kingdom, as well as Mexico, Africa, South and Central America and Australia/New Zealand.

“It’s an opportunity for us to spend extended time and to get our decision-makers all in one place where we can be around these guys, watch them operate,” Fulton said.

The list is whittled down and a small group of athletes is selected for the program — 13 from 12 nations were in the 2025 class — and invited to train in American football starting in January at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

“What that entails is a 10-week intensive training camp where they're really living, breathing, sleeping, eating football,” Long said.

Some will participate in the NFL combine in Indianapolis, where kicking specialists are invited to join as members of that year's IPP class. Athletes also showcase their skills in the University of South Florida’s pro day in March, where they'll be seen by NFL team scouts.

Players can then be drafted, if eligible, by NFL teams or signed as free agents. Each team is allowed one roster exemption for an international player during the offseason and that player can then be signed to an exempt 17th roster spot on the practice squad in the regular season.

Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata was the first player from the program drafted by an NFL team, when the former rugby league standout in Australia was taken by Philadelphia in the seventh round in 2018.

Offensive lineman Travis Clayton from the U.K. was drafted by Buffalo in the seventh round last year. The former rugby union standout is currently on the Bills' practice squad.

Nearly 100 international players have participated and more than 40 have signed with NFL teams since the IPP's inception.

In addition to Mailata, defensive end Efe Obada (Nigeria/United Kingdom), fullback Jakob Johnson (Germany), tight end Sammis Reyes (Chile), defensive tackle David Bada (Germany) and tight end Thomas Odukoya (Netherlands) have played in regular-season games.

Five players from this year's class of IPP athletes are currently on NFL practice squads: Atlanta Falcons kicker Lenny Krieg (Germany), Washington Commanders defensive end T.J. Maguranyanga (Zimbabwe/South Africa), Carolina Panthers linebacker Mapalo “Maz” Mwansa (United Kingdom/Zambia), Las Vegas Raiders offensive lineman Laki Tasi (Australia) and New York Jets offensive lineman Leander Wiegand (Germany).

“Whenever people ask me how is it, I always say it’s a blessing and a grind because there’s definitely a lot of work that comes with it,” Wiegand said. “And like they say, pressure is a privilege. And I really started to understand that the bigger league you play, the more pressure it is. But it’s been amazing.”

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